North Fort Myers girls win District 2A-20 title

North Fort Myers girls golf head coach Brian Makar was a bit surprised to see his Red Knights take home the District 2A-20 championship at Fort Myers Country Club Tuesday afternoon and glad they raised their games to another level when it counted the most.

“Every one of our ladies played far better than their scoring averages for the season,” Makar said. “It was great to see and I’m very happy for all of them. With the winds being a challenge, our girls took advantage of a more generous course with more room to work with.”

All five members of the North Fort Myers team averaged between 55 and 67 for their nine-hole averages for the season, but with an altered schedule due to poor weather in Southwest Florida in the past few months, Makar said it was difficult for his squad to produce consistent play.

Keyana Corbett led the way for North Fort Myers with a 96, and Jenna Berti shot a 98. Ashlyn Dwenger shot a 105 and Valeria Arias turned in a 120 to complete the Knights’ team score.

“It’s been hard for all of the teams in the area this season with the storms we’ve had this entire school year to get much play in,” Makar said. “It’s been frustrating for sure. For our team, doing what we did today was even more of a surprise given how little we’ve been able to get out there.”

The Knights’ 423 total was 28 strokes better than Mariner at 451. Cypress Lake took third with a 471 to take the last qualifying spot for regional play next Tuesday at Golf Hammock Golf Club in Sebring.

Mia Nelson took home medalist honors with a 92 and fellow teammate Chloe Ermmarino shot a 108 to take the second individual spot to qualify for regional play. LaBelle’s Kayla Howard also shot a 108 and also will advance to regional play next week.

Mackenzie Paolino of Mariner shot a 94 to come in second overall for the event and was followed by Corbett (96) and Berti (98). A’layahna Checo of Cypress shot a 101 to round out the top five.

Makar knows his Knights will be up against quality opponents next week but has one hope for his girls moving forward.

“Just play as well as you can and enjoy being out there,” he said. “They’re going to see some girls that can really play. Just coming out on top today is a great accomplishment. Anything else going forward would be great.”